Significance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in limb salvage treatment of osteosarcoma and its effect on GLS1 expression.

Objective: We examined the clinical significance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in limb salvage treatment of osteosarcoma and its effect on the Glutaminase 1 gene (GLS1) expression.
Patients and Methods: 278 patients admitted to Qianfoshan Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University with osteosarcoma were randomly divided into the study group and the control group. Patients in the study group had 3-4 courses of cisplatin, ifosfamide, and adriamycin (DIA) chemotherapy before surgical excision, while no chemotherapy was used in the control group before the surgery.
Results: GLS1 expression in the study group decreased, the difference showed statistical significance compared with that of the control group (p<0.05). The median survival time of the study group was 48.4±19.7 months while in the control group was 42.4±11.2. The overall survival time of study group was 58.5±15.2 months, which was significantly higher than control 49.4±10.7 (p<0.05). The higher GLS1 expression in osteosarcoma was, the shorter the patients' survival time would be.
Conclusions: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy performed before surgery could significantly decrease the GLS1 expression in osteosarcoma, effectively improving limb salvage treatment of osteosarcoma. The higher the GLS1 expression was, the shorter the patients' survival time would be.